In the early days of texting, people were also texting without keypads. Having to double-click each button to get the right letter took a lot of time and effort, so users would abbreviate words so that they didn’t have to do that. [2] X Research source
”I’m going to the store BRB!”
“You did a great job on the new website BTW!”
“I still haven’t responded to Rob’s DM. . . "
“I’m free tonight HMU if you want to hang out. "
“I’m trying to find the answer online, but IDK. "
“That band gave a pretty mediocre performance IMO. "
“I’m very outgoing on social media, but I’m pretty shy IRL. "
“I just spilled my coffee on the bus and now I can never go out in public again. JK 🤣”
“Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations in the area? LMK!”
“LOL you are so funny. ”
“This is a clip from that new movie I was talking about. Heads up, it’s NSFW. "
“I figured it out NVM. "
“OMG you’ll never guess what Stacey just told me!”
“I’m running 5 minutes late but I’m OMW. "
“I’m feeling pretty good RN, but I was super tired this morning. "
“I wasn’t a fan of that movie TBH. "
“I’m getting a tattoo tomorrow. YOLO!”
“I’m writing a piece on Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman. "
“I can get back to you on that ASAP!”
“Things at the office are going pretty well ATM. "
“We’ve got to include a CTA in our campaign message. That way, people will be motivated to sign up. "
“I wrote and released my own DIY cookbook because no one was interested in publishing it. "
“I’ll need that outline by the EOD. "
“Can I get an ETA for when you can get this project back to me?”
“FYI, we stopped using that strategy last week. "
“We should opt for an MMS marketing campaign so we can share photos, too. "
“If nothing works for that category, just write N/A. "
“NP happy to help. "
“Our company takes our SEO strategy very seriously. "
“I think we should start an SMS marketing campaign to appeal to our younger customers. "
“I’m so ready for the weekend. TGIF!”
“Would you mind proofreading the caption before we post this on Instagram? TIA!”
“You’re the best for doing this. TY!”
“I can’t wait for you to finally meet my BF. I think you’ll like him!”
“I really like him, but we’re not officially dating. We haven’t had the DTR talk yet. . . "
“Yeah, that’s my GF. She’s awesome. "
“You’re seriously the best ILY 🥰”
“I’m so lucky to have you in my life ILSM. ❤️”
“It’s tough being in an LDR, but my girlfriend makes it worth it. "
“My boyfriend is a total hunk. My MCM till the end!”
“My #WCW is my beautiful girlfriend. So happy to have her in my life! 💗”
“I’m surprising my SO with a beach getaway for his birthday. "
“My partner has been pretty bummed lately, but I think she just needs some TLC. "
Even if you’re texting with your friends or potential love interests, it might be best to use abbreviations in moderation (1-2 per text). Otherwise, it might make the person feel like you’re not putting in much effort to talk to them.
For example, if your client did something that made you laugh, “LOL” is probably a better choice than “LMAO. "
Change “Me and Sarah are going to this beautiful park tomorrow evening to watch the sunset. It’s going to be an awesome day and you should come!” to “Me and Sarah are going to the park tomorrow evening. You should come! 😊” If your text doesn’t sound quite as friendly after the edits you made, add an emoji. Emojis can give your texts a more playful, upbeat vibe. [7] X Research source
If you’re talking about a recent news story, link to an article that explains what happened instead of giving a full summary over text. Add a brief caption like, “Did you hear about this? I really want to know your thoughts!”